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Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

nytimes.com

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Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#11

Post by brandonmenc »

stephengillie wrote: post #2

Why would an employer want to drug test employees? Do some still believe there is some kind of correlation between (prescription or self-medicated) drug use? From the article: > In Colorado, “to find a roofer or a painter that can pass a drug test is unheard-of,” Sure, it makes some sense for a few, select jobs like truck driving. But why would you care what your roofer or painter did last night, as long as the job g…

> But why would you care what your roofer or painter did last night

If I'm a roofer, I don't want the guy holding my ladder to be hung over.

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#12

Post by tyenl »

shkkmo wrote: post #8
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #3

As the quote from the article says: “most people can’t pass the drug test because they don’t want to pass a drug test.” I work in manufacturing. We make it easy to pass. Several days from interview to test. That's every place I've been. And as the article suggests, its almost exclusively whites not passing. I figure its a culture thing.

> Several days from interview to test Not enough time to piss clean from Cannabis, but enough for some of the harder drugs. > And as the article suggests, its almost exclusively whites not passing Doesn't that make drug tests a racist practice?

Does the racial make up of NBA rosters make the NBA a racist organization?

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#13

Post by jlgaddis »

aab0 wrote: post #4
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #3

As the quote from the article says: “most people can’t pass the drug test because they don’t want to pass a drug test.” I work in manufacturing. We make it easy to pass. Several days from interview to test. That's every place I've been. And as the article suggests, its almost exclusively whites not passing. I figure its a culture thing.

'Several days' doesn't sound like enough for a lot of drugs. Aside from quoting employers complaining about not being able to find employees, I wish the NYT had covered some more on the topic of, does drug testing even meaningfully help with finding better employees? Yes, it may be mandated or legally required of employers in a few cases, but that's far from universal; so are the rest doing it because it works, or be…

"Several days" is typically plenty of time for almost all drugs except for marijuana, due to their half-lives.

Those who regularly use larger amounts of drugs may need an extra day or two to pass but a week, for instance, should be more than enough for most people's levels to be below the thresholds that are tested against.

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#14

Post by randyrand »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #3

As the quote from the article says: “most people can’t pass the drug test because they don’t want to pass a drug test.” I work in manufacturing. We make it easy to pass. Several days from interview to test. That's every place I've been. And as the article suggests, its almost exclusively whites not passing. I figure its a culture thing.

Which is why many people think drug tests are racist.

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#15

Post by CyberDildonics »

brandonmenc wrote: post #11
stephengillie wrote: post #2

Why would an employer want to drug test employees? Do some still believe there is some kind of correlation between (prescription or self-medicated) drug use? From the article: > In Colorado, “to find a roofer or a painter that can pass a drug test is unheard-of,” Sure, it makes some sense for a few, select jobs like truck driving. But why would you care what your roofer or painter did last night, as long as the job g…

> But why would you care what your roofer or painter did last night If I'm a roofer, I don't want the guy holding my ladder to be hung over.

Too bad alchohol isn't on the panel

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#16

Post by aianus »

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #6

If you want a contract, loan, tax benefit or anything else explicit from the federal government or any contractor of the federal government - you have to institute drug screening policies, which are audited. edit: The implication I am making is that this is literally the only (IMO) good reason to have such a policy.

Amazon definitely has government contracts but they don't drug test their engineers (or at least they never drug tested me).

Any ideas how they get around it? Do AWS engineers get drug tested?

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#17

Post by viraptor »

aianus wrote: post #16
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #6

If you want a contract, loan, tax benefit or anything else explicit from the federal government or any contractor of the federal government - you have to institute drug screening policies, which are audited. edit: The implication I am making is that this is literally the only (IMO) good reason to have such a policy.

Amazon definitely has government contracts but they don't drug test their engineers (or at least they never drug tested me). Any ideas how they get around it? Do AWS engineers get drug tested?

Do you actually work on anything related to those contracts? There could be strict separation in place and people without approval / clearance may not be involved at all.

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#18

Post by aianus »

viraptor wrote: post #17
aianus wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon definitely has government contracts but they don't drug test their engineers (or at least they never drug tested me). Any ideas how they get around it? Do AWS engineers get drug tested?

Do you actually work on anything related to those contracts? There could be strict separation in place and people without approval / clearance may not be involved at all.

No, the contracts were in AWS iirc and I did not work in AWS.

(I realize it wasn't clear in my original comment, but that's why I'm curious about AWS engineers' experience).

Re: Hiring Hurdle: Finding Workers Who Can Pass a Drug Test

#19

Post by AndrewKemendo »

aianus wrote: post #16
AndrewKemendo wrote: post #6

If you want a contract, loan, tax benefit or anything else explicit from the federal government or any contractor of the federal government - you have to institute drug screening policies, which are audited. edit: The implication I am making is that this is literally the only (IMO) good reason to have such a policy.

Amazon definitely has government contracts but they don't drug test their engineers (or at least they never drug tested me). Any ideas how they get around it? Do AWS engineers get drug tested?

My guess would be that they do, but don't always exercise it (at least in your case). As a corollary I was an Active Duty Air Force officer for 7 years and have been in the reserves for two beyond that. I have only been drug tested once in those years. So having the policy to check the box and actually utilizing it, in hiring or otherwise, are different.
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